FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With most of its non-conference season in the books, the Fairfield University men's soccer team turns its attention to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) portion of the 2024 schedule. The Stags open conference play on Saturday night by hosting Marist College at Lessing Field beginning at 7 pm.

Fairfield has a win and a draw in its last two games, defeating Columbia University by a 3-1 count before tying #24 UConn in its last outing. The Stags' defensive corps was quite effective in keeping the opposition at bay over the last two contests, allowing 19 shots but only six of those were on target. Viktor Nikolov posted more than 100 scoreless minutes over his last two appearances, playing all 90 minutes against UConn and 13 minutes in relief of Kyle Briere in the Columbia match.

"I think the success defensively points to the guys and their fight and their resilience," Head Coach Krystian Witkowski said. "I think they are completely committed to making it difficult for the opponent."

The Stags remain in the top five for goals scored among the MAAC teams, netting 11 in their eight appearances. At the heart of Fairfield's offense stands William Pierce who ranks among the top ten in a few MAAC statistical categories. He currently leads the team in scoring with nine points off four goals and an assist, placing him in a tie for fifth for goals per game (0.50) and ninth for points per game (1.13). Devin Zachry is just Pierce's pace with six points, registering two goals and two assists in seven matches.

Marist College looks to improve on its 3-4 overall record which includes back-to-back wins against 18^th-ranked Fordham University and LIU. Richard Morel was responsible for both goals in the 2-1 decision over Fordham while three different Red Foxes found the back of the net against LIU.

Morel's two goals and four total points lead the Red Foxes offense, standing as the only Marist student-athlete with more than one goal this year. Five other Marist players have scored a goal this season with Gijs Verheul, Adam Rustami, Evan Marques recording a goal each in the victory against LIU.

Goalkeeper Jamie Lowell has seen most of the minutes in the Red Foxes' goal, sporting 601 minutes over his seven starts in 2024. He owns a 2.24 goals against average off 15 goals allowed. He averages 3.4 saves per match, collecting 23 stops for a .605 save percentage.

Following Saturday's match, Fairfield will return to the road for a pair of games before coming back to Lessing Field on October 19 against Rider. The Stags will head to Iona University on October 5 before playing its final non-conference game at Lehigh University on October 15.